The present invention relates to a device for the inflation of a container or a floating body of an item of lifesaving equipment with compressed gas. The compressed gas is provided by a diaphragm-sealed compressed gas container which, within the region of the container neck, is provided with an external thread that can be screwed into a receiving aperture in a housing of the device which is provided with a corresponding internal thread. The gas content of the compressed gas container is released by opening the diaphragm by means of an opening striker disposed in the housing, which can be moved both by means of a hand lever and/or by the force of a spring against the diaphragm.
An automatic device is already known which includes a basic body into which the compressed gas bottle is screwed, and a second, separate part in which a spring element is disposed that is tensioned by being screwed-in or by being fitted together to produce the requisite momentum in order to, in a known manner, by the interposition of a tablet that dissolves in water, thrust a pointed striker through the sealing diaphragm for opening the compressed gas bottle (DE-AS 27 15 132). In this case the compressed gas bottle has to be screwed-in completely while possessing a certain pretension in order to make the device operate perfectly.
In devices of the type pertaining to the present invention, vibrations or frictional influences due to external effects must not be detrimental to the compressed gas bottle in its screwed connection with the equipment body since the possibility of a detachment and, with this, an impairment of the reliability could arise. Also, other manually operated and/or automatic devices undesirably require that the compressed gas container be screwed-in at least up to a planned point at which an adequate screwing-in depth and an adequate pretension is ensured, to obtain faultless operation and optimal reliability. Especially in devices of the type mentioned here in which the compressed gas container pretensions the spring which moves the opening striker when the container is screwed into the receiving aperture of the housing, it is of great importance to ensure that the compressed gas container is screwed sufficiently far into the receiving aperture so that not only a more secure fit of the compressed gas container is ensured, but also a sealing of the compressed gas container and an adequate pretensioning of the main spring is achieved.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a device of the type stated which provides indicating means to indicate the screwed-in state of the compressed gas container, i.e., which provides an indication as to whether the compressed gas container is screwed-in far enough into the receiving aperture so that a reliable operation of the device is guaranteed. The present invention fulfills this need and provides other related advantages.